Parking brake

ABSTRACT

A parking brake for a vehicle includes a lever holder including a housing that has a first flat side and a second flat side and a brake actuation lever pivotably arranged on the lever holder. The brake actuation lever is articulated to the first flat side and to the second flat side. The parking brake also includes a locking arrangement for holding the brake actuation lever in a locking position, a brake cable, and a deflection lever pivotably articulated to the first flat side and to the second flat side of the housing. The deflection lever is pivotably linked with the brake actuation lever. In addition, the parking brake includes a coupling unit disposed on the deflection lever for tensioning the brake cable during a displacement of the brake actuation lever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a parking brake for a vehicle, comprising abrake actuation lever which is arranged in a jointed manner on a leverholder; a coupling unit which tensions a brake cable during thedisplacement of the brake actuation lever; a locking device, in order tohold the brake actuation lever in a locking position; and a deflectionlever which is articulated pivotably on the lever holder and which isconnected in a jointed manner to the brake actuation lever and has thecoupling unit for the brake cable.

Parking brakes, in particular foot-operated parking brakes for motorvehicles, are known from practice, which, when a brake actuation leverdesigned, for example, with a pedal is actuated, exert a correspondingpull on a brake cable pulling on the brake shoes of the parking brake,the latter being tensioned thereby. One disadvantage of these parkingbrakes is that the lever arm of the pedal, on the one hand, and thedistance of the articulation of the brake cable from the body-fixedarticulation point of the brake actuation lever, on the other hand,defines unfavorable lever ratios (about 1 to 2), so that, in practice,tension members which bring about a step-up of about four times the pullexerted on them have to be installed between a first and a second partof the brake cable. Such tension members present problems, because, as arule, the adjustment of the brake cable because of the wear of the brakelinings is possible only on one part of the brake cable and theadjustment can therefore be compensated only inadequately. Moreover,these parts make it difficult to install the brake cable, because thelatter can be led only at a distance from these and therefore mountingbecomes more costly. In addition, such a tension member alwaysconstitutes the weak point for material faults and mounting errors.

DE-A-28 05 192 shows a manually actuable parking brake, in which a brakeactuation lever is arranged about a pivot axis on a lever holder,furthermore, an intermediate lever being arranged in a jointed manner onthe brake actuation lever, the other end of the intermediate link beingcoupled in an articulated manner to one corner of an essentiallytriangular deflection lever which is articulated on the lever holder ina further corner and in a third corner provides the possibility ofcoupling for a brake linkage. A pawl arranged on the brake actuationlever makes it possible to lock the parking brake due to cooperationwith a stationary circumferential toothing of the lever holder. Theknown parking brake has the disadvantage that it requires a relativelylarge construction space, since the pivoting circle of the linkconnection point between the intermediate link and the deflection leverhas to pivot past the articulation of the brake actuation lever, and,furthermore, the articulations and the deflection lever and the brakeactuation lever have to be provided next to one another on the samelever holder. Moreover, the materials of the various levers are alsoprotected, in the region of their articulation, against momentums whicharise due to the one-sided lateral mounting of the respectivelypivotable part, so that the articulation points and the pin materialsmust be produced with the appropriate strengths, since they are mountedonly on one side. However, The present design of the intermediate leverand deflection lever does not allow mounting on both sides.

DE-A-196 25 804 describes a parking brake, in which a brake actuationlever is pivotably arranged at an articulation point on a lever holder,a bearing point for jointed connection to a deflection lever beingprovided. The deflection lever has an essentially triangularconfiguration, in the first corner of which the bearing point isprovided and in the second corner of which the cable outlet is arranged.The third corner of the deflection lever is designed as a bearing pointfor a roller which can be tracked along a lever-holder profile having anindentation. As a result of this rolling, the actuation resistance ofthe parking brake is increased and, moreover, a favorable transmissionratio is not defined. The parts of the parking brake are arranged on oneside of the lever holder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to provide a parking brake, which, alongwith a small build, improves cost-effectively the transmission ratiobetween brake actuation lever and cable outlet.

The present invention provides a parking brake for a vehicle thatincludes a lever holder including a housing that has a first flat sideand a second flat side and a brake actuation lever pivotably arranged onthe lever holder. The brake actuation lever is articulated to the firstflat side and to the second flat side. The parking brake also includes alocking arrangement for holding the brake actuation lever in a lockingposition, a brake cable, and a deflection lever pivotably articulated tothe first flat side and to the second flat side of the housing. Thedeflection lever is pivotably linked with the brake actuation lever. Inaddition, the parking brake includes a coupling unit disposed on thedeflection lever for tensioning the brake cable during a displacement ofthe brake actuation lever.

The parking brake according to the invention affords a favorabletransmission ratio by the provision of a deflection lever which ispivotable relative to the lever holder and which is connected in ajointed manner to the brake actuation lever, the deflection lever havingthe coupling unit for the brake cable (cable outlet). The jointedconnection of the brake actuation lever to the deflection lever definesa favorable transmission ratio which makes it possible to actuate thebrake cable without additional tension members arranged in the brakecable.

Expediently, the brake actuation lever is connected, via an intermediatelever, arranged in a jointed manner on the latter, to the deflectionlever, the intermediate lever also being connected in a jointed mannerto the deflection lever. By virtue of this arrangement, the jointedconnection between the brake actuation lever and the deflection lever ismade into two jointed connections, thus making it possible to have amore complex relative change in position of the two parts in relation toone another during pivoting about their respective articulations on thelever holder. As a result, the joints on which the intermediate lever isarranged can be pivoted according to different curve radii about thearticulations of the two levers on the lever holder, and at the sametime an improvement in the transmission ratios can be achieved by theselection of the articulation points for the deflection lever. The brakeactuation lever and the deflection lever can thereby also be designed toengage one into the other, thus producing a particularly compactstructural unit and allowing the levers to pivot past one anothermutually.

Preferably, the deflection lever has the toothed quadrant at an edgeboundary, in this case the locking pawl being arranged in a jointedmanner on the lever holder. As a result, due to the displacement of thedeflection lever, the parking brake and consequently also the brakeactuation lever can be held in a locking position, and, owing to thearrangement of the toothed quadrant on the deflection lever, the extentof the latter owing to the transmission ratio is compact. It istherefore possible to lock the parking position of the parking brake bymeans of a small number of teeth of the toothing.

The locking pawl is expediently prestressed in the direction of thetoothed quadrant by means of a pawl spring, the prestress of the pawlspring being capable of being cancelled by the actuation of a pushbutton or by pulling a pawl linkage, in order to release the parkingposition. The pawl spring is designed, for example, as a torsion spring,one leg of which is arranged on the lever holder and the other leg ofwhich is arranged on the lever arm, facing the toothing, of the lockingpawl which has an engagement nose.

The deflection lever advantageously pivots past the joint connecting thebrake actuation lever to the lever holder, for which purpose a long holeor a recess in the deflection lever is advantageously provided, in orderto allow this relative movement. The long hole may have either a linearextent or a curved contour, the configuration of the long holeexpediently resulting from the jointed connection of the brake actuationlever and of the deflection lever. The provision of a long hole has theadvantage, in particular, that the strength of the deflection lever ishardly diminished as a result, and force transmission, which isimportant for the transmission ratio, can take place without criticalbending moments arising.

In the parking brake according to the invention, the lever holder isdesigned in the manner of a housing with two flat sides, the deflectionlever and the brake actuation lever being articulated in the interspacebetween the flat sides of the lever holder. The housing forming thelever holder may selectively be arranged on the body in the manner of abridge girder, if the parking brake is designed as a hand-operatedparking brake, or else fastened laterally to an extension of, forexample, the A-pillar of the motor vehicle on the driver's side, if theparking brake is designed as a foot-operated parking brake. The designas a housing with two flat sides advantageously provides a compactarrangement which can be mounted according to the available space.

Preferably, the housing has an orifice which is arranged in the regionof a narrow side and which at least partially allows the passage of thebrake actuation lever and expediently also the passage of the deflectionlever or a part of the deflection lever which is pivoted out of thehousing when the brake actuation lever is actuated.

The deflection lever, too, is expediently designed in the manner of areceptacle with two flat sides, the two flat sides of the receptacleeach having a recess, through which passes a joint connecting the brakeactuation lever to the lever holder, the recess in the two flat sidesadvantageously being designed as a long hole. One narrow side of thereceptacle allows the passage of the brake actuation lever which,moreover, is articulated on the lever holder within the receptacle. Thetoothed quadrant, too, may be arranged, with an outwardly directedtoothing, between the two flat sides of the deflection lever designed asa receptacle, in which case the receptacle is advantageously designed asa sheet-metal pressed part bent toward itself and holds a toothedquadrant clamped in.

In the above embodiment, even when an intermediate lever is provided, itis advantageously possible for the pivotally moveable parts to be nestedwithin the housing, in such a way that the brake actuation lever, thedeflection lever and the intermediate lever are designed to engage oneinto the other and are therefore arranged in a highly compact manner.Owing to the nested design, the parts can pivot past one another andachieve high lever ratios, without the parts having to be arranged, forthis purpose, outside the pivoting paths overlapping one another.Appropriate perforations may be provided in a region in which the movedlevers pivot past articulations of parts in the housing. Theconstruction as a nested arrangement gives both the housing and thelever high stability in spite of relatively small wall thicknesses.Furthermore, the articulation of the parts on both sides leads tofavorable protection against momentums occurring during actuation, andthe forces acting on the articulation points are correspondinglydistributed to two sides.

Another preferred embodiment of a parking brake according to theinvention provides for arranging the brake actuation lever, deflectionlever and intermediate lever in the lever holder, without these partsengaging one into the other, so that there is advantageously no need forcomplicated nesting and for the provision of free cuts for a mutualpivoting. In this case, the deflection lever, which is equipped with thecoupling unit for the brake cable, is connected to the brake actuationlever via an intermediate lever arranged in the lever holder, theintermediate lever transmitting a pulling movement, when the brakeactuation lever is actuated, to the deflection lever and pivoting thelatter about its articulation on the lever holder in the direction ofthe brake actuation lever or the articulation of the latter. When alocking device fixing the brake actuation lever is released, thedeflection lever pulls the brake actuation lever back into its initialposition via the intermediate lever under the return force of the brakecable.

Preferably, in this case, the brake actuation lever is connected in ajointed manner to the intermediate lever via an intermediate part, theintermediate part, on the one hand, carrying the articulation with theintermediate lever and, on the other hand, being articulated, togetherwith the brake actuation lever, on the lever holder and, moreover,embodying the toothed quadrant, by means of which the brake actuationlever can be fixed in relation to a pawl arranged on the lever holder.In this case, the intermediate part having the toothed quadrant may beperforated in a central region for reasons of increased rigidity andweight saving, while the remaining parts of the intermediate part areproduced solid, and thus allow good force transmission between the brakeactuation lever and intermediate lever. To make a rigid connectionbetween the brake actuation lever and intermediate part, it is possibleto couple these two parts to one another by riveting or the like, bothparts, moreover, being articulated on the lever holder about the samemain joint.

In this case, the deflection lever has an extremely compact design,since its extent is restricted by the three ends at which articulationsare provided: at one end of the triangular deflection lever, thearticulation of the latter on the lever holder is provided, at thesecond end the, articulation with the intermediate lever for connectionto the brake actuation lever is provided, and at the third end, thecoupling unit for the brake cable is provided. Here, too, favorabletransmission ratios for action upon the brake cable arise, since thecenter distances between the various articulations are provided in theotherwise compact lever holder.

The parking brake according to the invention makes it possible, alongwith a small build, to achieve a step-up of the brake actuation leverwith respect to the break cable to a factor of between five and eleven,preferably between eight and ten. It has to be understood that, asbefore, brake booster members may be provided in the region of the brakecable, but this is advantageously no longer necessary. In particular, atransmission ratio can be established which has a dimension suitable formotor vehicle parking brakes and which manages without brakeintensifiers. The amount of the step-up is obtained from the expedientselection of the distance between the joints of the levers.

Preferably, the coupling unit comprises an adjustment device for thebrake cable, as is known, for example, from WO-A-98 57 832, by means ofwhich adjustment device the brake cable is adjusted by means of springforce, with the parking brake deposed or not actuated, in order, inresponse to pronounced temperature differences, but, in particular,because of the wear of the brake linings, to bring about a tighttensioning of the brake cable at any time after the release of theparking brake.

The parking brake according to the invention may equally be designed asa hand-operated parking brake with a handle, in which a push buttonactuates the release function of the locking pawl, and as afoot-operated parking brake, in which the brake actuation lever isprovided with a pedal and the release of the locking pawl is implementedvia a pull mechanism.

Further advantages and features of the invention may be gathered fromthe following description and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in more detail below by means of preferredexemplary embodiments of a parking brake according to the invention,with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a preferred exemplary embodiment of aparking brake according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the parking brake from FIG. 1 from the otherside, in the actuated state.

FIG. 3 shows a section through the parking brake from FIGS. 1 and 2along the line III—III.

FIG. 4 shows a section through the parking brake from FIGS. 1 to 3 alongthe line IV—IV.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of a further preferred exemplary embodiment ofa parking brake according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The parking brake illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 is a foot-operated parkingbrake 1 which, by the pedal 2 being depressed, displaces the brakeactuation lever 3 carrying the pedal 2, about the articulation 4 of saidbrake actuation lever, on the lever holder, designed as a housing 5, ofthe parking brake. The housing 5 is fastened, fixed to the body, in thevicinity of the A-pillar of a motor vehicle and can therefore beoperated, for example, by the left foot of a vehicle driver. Anextension 6 of the housing 5 serves as a casing for a brake cable whichis indicated by the axis 7 and which makes a connection to the brakes(not illustrated) on the wheels of the motor vehicle.

The lever holder 5 designed as a housing is a sheet-metal pressed partwhich has, parallel to the sheet plane of the illustration from FIG. 1,two flat sides 8, between which the articulation 4 of the brakeactuation lever 3 and further parts illustrated in more detail below arearranged. On the narrow side indicated in FIG. 1 by the reference symbol9, the housing 5 is designed to be open, in order to allow the passageof the brake actuation lever 3 and of further parts. Alternatively, itis possible for the housing 5 to have a larger design, in order, forvisual reasons, to allow only the brake actuation lever 3 to passthrough, but not further parts. A further extension of the housing 5 isindicated by the reference symbol 10 and serves for guiding a triggerdevice 11 for the parking brake 1.

Within the lever holder 5 designed as a housing, and connected pivotablyto said lever holder via an articulation 12, is a deflection lever 13which is connected to an intermediate lever 15 via a rotary joint 14,said intermediate lever 15 being connected pivotably, via a furtherjoint 16 to a projection, designated by 17, of the brake actuation lever3. The deflection lever 13, moreover, has a long hole 18, through whichpasses the rotary joint 4 connecting the lever holder 5 to the brakeactuation lever 3, in order to allow the deflection lever 13 to pivotpast in relation to the joint 4. The deflection lever has, at its leftend which is outermost in FIG. 1, a cable outlet, designated by 19,which, with respect to the articulation 12 of the deflection lever 13,is arranged opposite the jointed connection 4 of the brake actuationlever 3. The cable outlet 19 defining a coupling unit comprises anadjustment device 20 for the brake cable 7, said adjustment device beingdesigned in such a way that, via a spring and a slide, it tensions thebrake cable 7 according to the spring force, the slide being fixed via alatching device when tensile stress is transmitted to the brake cable 7as a result of the displacement of the brake actuation lever 3. Arrangedat that end of the deflection lever 13 which is located opposite thecable outlet 19 is a toothed quadrant 21 which is produced, for example,as a stamped or forged part and which is fixedly connected to adeflection lever 13.

The deflection lever 13 is produced as a receptacle designed with twoflat sides 13 a, the long hole 18 being provided in both flat sides 13a. These are produced as a sheet-metal pressed part and hold the toothedquadrant 21, for example, by riveting or when the toothed quadrant ispressed in between the two flat sides 13 a. Introduced between the twoflat sides 13 a of the deflection lever 13 designed as a receptacle,through a longitudinal edge, designed as an orifice 13 b, of thereceptacle 13, is that end of the brake actuation lever 3 which facesaway from the pedal 2, and, and has a projection 17, furthermore, theintermediate lever 15 and, finally, the joints 14, 16 connecting theintermediate lever 15 to the two levers 3, 13. The section along theline III—III in FIG. 1 through the centers of the joints 14, 16 showsthe arrangement of the three levers in relation to one another, theintermediate lever 15 being designed as a sheet-metal pressed part orthe like, again as a hollow part with flat sides.

Within the lever holder 5 designed as a housing, a locking pawl 22 isconnected pivotably to said lever holder via a rotary joint 23, a shortlever arm 22 a of the locking pawl 22 having an engagement nose 24 whichis deposited in a rest part 25 of the toothing 21, said rest partpreceding the actual teeth 26 of the toothed quadrant 21. By contrast,in the illustration according to FIG. 2, the engagement nose 24 isengaged between two teeth 26 of the toothed quadrant 21. A torsionspring (not illustrated), supported with one leg against the lever 22 aand with the other leg against the housing 5, prestresses the lockingpawl 22 in the direction of the toothed quadrant 21, the overcoming of atooth 26 tensioning the locking pawl 22 counterclockwise in theillustration according to FIG. 1, counter to the prestress of thespring, and engagement into a valley provided between two teeth causingthe engagement nose 24 to engage into said valley under the prestress ofthe torsion spring.

Arranged in the region of the longer lever 22 b of the locking pawl 22is the trigger device 11 which has a linkage 25 connected to the housing5 via a rotary joint 26, the rotary joint 26 having arranged on it,furthermore, a driver 27 which, when the trigger device 11 is actuated,displaces the long lever 22 b of the locking pawl counter to theprestress of the torsion spring, so that the engagement nose 24 comesout of engagement with the toothing of the toothed quadrant 21 and thusallows the deflection lever 13 to pivot about its rotary joint 12.Starting from the parking position, as illustrated in FIG. 2, on the onehand, this takes place via the tension transmitted by the brake cable 7,but, on the other hand, a spring (not illustrated) is also provided,which prestresses the deflection lever 13 against the lever holder 5 andthus brings about a complete return movement of the deflection lever 13.In this case, the joint 4 at the same time defines a limit stop, but itis possible to provide a further stop, in order to prevent damage in theregion of the long hole 18 or of the joint 4.

The trigger device 11 may be triggered selectively by the actuation of apush button or by the pulling of a lever, the compressive force ortensile force being transmitted to the driver 27 according to theactuation unit.

The illustration according to FIG. 3 shows the section along the lineIII—III from FIG. 1, the joints 14 and 16 being illustrated by theiraxes, so as not to be detrimental to the clarity of the illustration. Itcan be seen that the lever holder 5, the deflection lever 13 and theintermediate lever 15 are formed as hollow sandwich-like elements, thesection extending through the two flat sides. It can be seen,furthermore, that the deflection lever 13 partially connects the flatsides 13 a to one another via bent portions 13 c on its narrow sidelocated opposite the orifice 13 b. Finally, it can be seen that theprojection 17 of the brake actuation lever 3, which is partially insection in the illustration according to FIG. 3, is a centrallyprojecting portion which is surrounded by the intermediate lever 15.Finally, there can also be seen, behind the sectional line III—III,notches or beads 5 a of the lever holder 5 which, directed into thehousing 5, project on both sides from the sheet-metal material of thelatter and come into bearing contact against the flat sides 13 a of thedeflection lever 13, in order to guide the latter laterally. The axis ofthe joint 4 (which cannot be seen) is indicated by 4.

Referring to FIG. 4, of which the associated sectional line IV—IV fromFIG. 1 extends through the center points of the joints 4 and 16, whichare again illustrated merely by their axes, it can be seen that theintermediate lever 15 surrounds the projection 17 of the brake actuationlever 3 on both sides, with the projection 17 having a thickness ofapproximately half that of the brake actuation lever 3 and beingcontinued centrally from the latter. It can be seen, furthermore, thatthe deflection lever 13 defining a receptacle comes to bear with its twoflat sides 13 a against the likewise flat outer faces of the brakeactuation lever 3 and thus guides the latter laterally. The articulation4 of the brake actuation lever 3 with the lever holder 5 is formed inthe region of the hole 18 in such a way that the sheets are bent inwardfrom the flat sides of the lever holder 5 and are moved into theprolongation of the metal sheet of the flat sides 13 a. The long hole 18is designed in such a way that there is no contact of the inwardlydirected flat sides of the housing 5 with the deflection lever 13 whenthe latter is displaced in relation to the joint axis 4 owing to theactuation of the brake actuation lever 3. Finally, the axis, whichcannot be seen, of the joint 14 is also indicated by broken lines inFIG. 4.

It can be seen that the distance between the axes of the joints 4 and16, on the one hand, and the distance between the axes of the joints 16and 14, on the other hand, and also, finally, the distance between theaxes of the joints 14 and 12 define a transmission ratio which issubstantially higher than would be the case in a direct arrangement ofthe brake actuation lever 3 on the deflection lever 13, if it is takeninto account that the distance between the axes of the joint 12 and ofthe cable outlet 19 defines the other lever arm. Thus, the suitableselection of the axis center distances, a transmission ratio ofapproximately 1:8.5 is obtained in the present exemplary embodiment, theresult of this advantageously being that no tension members have to bearranged in the brake cable 7, with the consequence that the adjustmentdevice 20 for the brake cable 7 can be arranged directly at the cableoutlet 19. The sensitive cable adjustment device 20 is thereby arrangedoutside the point of access for roaming animals, such as martens or thelike, and, in the case of repairs, is easily accessible via, forexample, a swing-up flat side of the housing 5.

The parking brake 1, then, functions as follows:

In its released or deposed initial position, the foot-operated parkingbrake 1 is in the position illustrated in FIG. 1. The engagement nose 24of the locking pawl 22 is deposited in the rest space 25, and theadjustment device 20, by virtue of the force of its spring, adjusts thebrake cable 7. When the brake actuation lever 3, then, is pivoted aboutits articulation 4 by the pedal 2 being depressed, a locking mechanismof the adjustment device 20 causes the brake cable 7 to be locked in theset position, and, via the extension 17, the joint 16 is pivoted aboutthe articulation 4 at its distance from the latter, the intermediatelever 15 transmitting this pivoting movement, in turn, via itsarticulation 14 to the deflection lever 13, with the result that thelatter likewise executes a pivoting movement about its joint 12 inrelation to the lever holder 5. At the same time, the narrow side 13 bof the deflection lever 13 is displaced downward and emerges through theorifice 9 of the housing 5, the toothed quadrant 21 being pivoted aboutthe axis 12 through the same angle, with the result that the lockingpawl 22 is induced, counter to the spring force loading it, to engageover the toothing 26 of the toothed quadrant 21. When the pressure onthe pedal 2 and therefore on the brake actuation lever 13 is ended, theengagement nose 24 of the locking pawl 22, by its intermeshing with thetoothing 26, holds the deflecting lever 13 in its pivoted position, asillustrated in FIG. 2, the illustration according to FIG. 2 in the otherside view indicating that parts of the deflection lever 13 and even ofthe intermediate lever 15 project from the housing 5 on the underside 9.

In order, starting from the position, illustrated in FIG. 2, of thefoot-operated parking brake 1 held in a parking position, to go backagain into the initial position illustrated in FIG. 1, a lever (notillustrated) which is connected to the linkage 15 is pulled, with theresult that the driver 27 displaces the long lever arm 22 b of thelocking pawl 22 counter to the prestress of the spring of the latter andbrings the engagement nose 24 out of engagement with the toothing 26,with the result that the spring (not illustrated) and the force loadingthe brake cable 7 pivot the deflection lever 13 back into its initialposition, the intermediate lever 15 and the brake actuation lever 3 alsoshooting back into their initial position illustrated in FIG. 1. It ispossible to brake the shooting movement into a slower movement by meansof a pneumatic spring or the like.

The further exemplary embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 5, of a parkingbrake 1′ according to the invention has essentially the same componentsas the parking brake 1 described above, and therefore the same referencesymbols are used for simplification, insofar as the parts arefunctionally identical, and only the differences are dealt with in moredetail below.

The parking brake 1′ likewise comprises a brake actuation lever 3 whichis provided with a pedal 2 and which is connected via an articulation 4to the lever holder 5 designed as a housing. Fixed to the brakeactuation lever 3 is an intermediate part 30 which is provided at theedge with a toothed quadrant 21 and which is likewise articulated on thelever holder 5 in the main bearing 4. The fastening of the intermediatepart 30 to the brake actuation lever 3 takes place via rivetedconnections 31, which are provided near the toothed quadrant 21, and,furthermore, may be provided in the region of the articulation 4. Theintermediate part 30 is perforated in its central region, in order asfar as possible to save weight.

At a distance from the articulation 4, which is arranged in theprojection 17 of the brake actuation lever 3, and outside the brakeactuation lever 3, the intermediate part 30 has provided on it a joint14 which connects the intermediate part 30 and the brake actuation lever3 to an intermediate link 15, the other end of which is connected to adeflection lever 13 in the region of a joint 16.

The deflection lever 13 has an essentially triangular design and isconnected to the lever holder 5 via an articulation 12, the articulation12 and the joint 16 being arranged at different corners of thedeflection lever 13. In the third corner of the deflection lever 13 isillustrated a cable outlet, designated by 19, for a brake cable 7 which,in the present exemplary embodiment, is designed without an adjustmentdevice. It has to be understood that an adjustment device maynevertheless be articulated at this point. It can be seen that, underthe tensile stress of the intermediate lever 15 as a result of theactuation of the brake actuation lever 3, the triangular deflectionlever 13 is pivoted about the articulation 12 in the direction of theprojection 17 of the brake actuation lever 3, and, at the same time, thecoupling unit, designed as a cable outlet 19, for the brake cable 7 ispivoted about a radius corresponding to the distance from thearticulation 12, with the result that the brake shoes of the cable brakeor, if appropriate, brake cylinders are acted upon correspondingly.

In contrast to the previous exemplary embodiment, a long hole 18 is nolonger necessary, since the two parts pivotably moveable relative to oneanother, namely the brake actuation lever 3 with the attachedintermediate part 30 and the deflection lever 13, can be pivoted pastone another, without touching one another. Correspondingly, one edgebetween the articulations 12 and 16 of the deflection lever 13 isdesigned to be inwardly concave, while the projection 17, designed toproject convexly, of the brake actuation lever 3 is rotated past thedeflection lever 13 even when the brake actuation lever 3 is actuated.

A particular advantage of the parking brake 1′ is that the brakeactuation lever 3 can be produced from plastic, while the intermediatepart 30 together with the toothed quadrant 21 formed on it is producedfrom steel, so the large-volume part is manufactured from relativelylightweight material and the intermediate part 30 subjected to highstress both in the region of the toothing 21 and in the region of thearticulations 14 and 4 is manufactured from a correspondingly tough andresistant material. Alternatively to a steel part, a part consisting ofa ceramic material or of a material similar to aluminum or magnesiumwould also come under consideration. Since both the region of thearticulation 4 and the region of the articulation 14 are formed by theintermediate part 30, a high torque can be transmitted to theintermediate lever 15 via the articulation 14 in spite of a long leverbetween the pedal 2 and the articulation 4.

The invention was explained above with reference to defined axis centerdistances of the joints 4, 16, 14, 12. It has to be understood that,according to the invention, the axis center distances may also bearranged differently in order to set a defined transmission ratio, andit has to be understood, furthermore, that, to achieve a more favorabletransmission ratio, a further intermediate lever 15 may also be providedor the latter may also be omitted completely.

The invention was explained in more detail above, by way of example,with reference to a foot-operated parking brake 1 or 1′. It has to beunderstood that the parking brake according to the invention may also bedesigned as a hand-operated parking brake, in which case the brakeactuation lever 3 is provided with a handle, in which a release buttonfor actuating the linkage 25 for releasing the locking pawl 22 may alsopreferably be provided, in which case the cable outlet 19 is arranged onthe deflection lever 13 in such a way that the latter has acorrespondingly favorable position for the installation of the leverholder 5 between the driver's seat and the front-passenger's seat in theknown manner for the outlet of the brake cable 7.

The invention was described above with reference to a brake cable as atransmission member to associated brake shoes. It has to be understoodthat linkage portions or adjustment devices may additionally beprovided. It has to be understood, furthermore, that the brake cable mayalso be designed as a whole as a linkage or as a hydraulic connection tobrake cylinders.

1. A parking brake for a vehicle, the parking brake comprising: a lever holder including a housing, wherein the housing comprises a first flat side and a second flat side; a brake actuation lever pivotably arranged on said lever holder, wherein said brake actuation lever is articulated to the first flat side and to the second flat side of said housing; a locking arrangement for holding said brake actuation lever in a locking position; a brake cable; a deflection lever pivotably articulated to the first flat side and to the second flat side of said housing, wherein said deflection lever is pivotably linked with said brake actuation lever and wherein the deflection lever is substantially arranged within the level holder; and a coupling unit for tensioning said brake cable during a displacement of said brake actuation lever, wherein said coupling unit is provided on said deflection lever.
 2. The parking brake as claimed in claim 1, wherein said brake actuation lever comprises a projection, said lever holder providing an articulation of said deflection lever, and wherein said deflection lever executes a pivoting movement about said articulation towards the projection when said brake actuation lever is actuated.
 3. The parking brake as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a joint connecting the brake actuating lever with the deflection lever, wherein the joint is substantially arranged within the lever holder.
 4. The parking brake as recited in claim 3, wherein the deflection lever is substantially arranged within the lever holder.
 5. A parking brake for a vehicle, the parking brake comprising: a lever holder including a housing, wherein the housing comprises a first flat side and a second flat side; a brake actuation lever pivotably arranged on said lever holder, wherein said brake actuation lever is articulated to the first flat side and to the second flat side of said housing; a locking arrangement for holding said brake actuation lever in a locking position; a brake cable: a deflection lever pivotably articulated to the first flat side and to the second flat side of said housing, wherein said deflection lever is pivotably linked with said brake actuation lever; a coupling unit for tensioning said brake cable during a displacement of said brake actuation lever, wherein said coupling unit is provided on said deflection lever, wherein said deflection lever includes a receptacle having a first deflection-lever flat side including a first recess and a second deflection-lever flat side including a second recess, and a joint connecting said brake actuation lever to said lever holder, the joint passing through said first and second recesses.
 6. The parking brake as claimed in claim 5, further comprising an intermediate lever pivotably disposed for linking said brake actuation lever with said deflection lever.
 7. The parking brake as claimed in claim 6, further comprising an intermediate part held rigidly in said brake actuation lever and wherein said brake actuation lever is connected to said intermediate lever via the intermediate part.
 8. The parking brake as claimed in claim 7, wherein said intermediate part includes a quadrant which comprises a toothing, and wherein said intermediate lever is articulated to said intermediate part via an articulation.
 9. The parking brake as claimed in claim 7, wherein said intermediate part is rigidly connected to said brake actuation lever, and wherein said intermediate part is mounted together with said brake actuation lever on said lever holder via an articulation.
 10. The parking brake as claimed in claim 7, wherein said intermediate part is fastened to said brake actuation lever by riveting.
 11. The parking brake as claimed in claim 6, wherein said deflection lever has an essentially triangular shape having three corners, wherein an articulation is arranged in each of the three corners, a first of said three corners being provided with a first articulation with said lever holder, a second of said three corners being provided with a second articulation with said intermediate lever and a third of said three corners being provided with a third articulation with said coupling unit.
 12. The parking brake as claimed in claim 6, wherein said intermediate lever is essentially tension-loaded.
 13. The parking brake as claimed in claim 6, wherein said intermediate lever has a first end pivotably connected to said brake actuation lever in a jointed manner, and a second end pivotably connected to said deflection lever in a jointed manner.
 14. The parking brake as claimed in claim 5, further providing a jointed connection disposed between said deflection lever and said lever holder, wherein said deflection lever comprises a boundary facing away from the jointed connection, wherein said deflection lever comprises a toothed element disposed at the boundary of the deflection lever, and further providing a locking pawl disposed in a jointed manner on said lever holder, wherein the toothed element and the looking pawl define said locking arrangement, and wherein the toothed element is disposed, directed outwardly, between said first deflection-lever flat side and said second deflection-lever flat side.
 15. The parking brake as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a trigger unit for releasing said locking arrangement.
 16. The parking brake as claimed in claim 5, wherein a step-up of said brake actuation lever with respect to said brake cable by a factor of between 5 and 11 is provided.
 17. The parking brake as claimed in claim 5, wherein said coupling unit comprises a cable adjustment arrangement for said brake cable.
 18. The parking brake as claimed in claim 5, wherein said brake actuation lever includes a foot-operated parking brake comprising a pedal.
 19. The parking brake as claimed in claim 5, wherein said housing of said lever holder comprises an orifice designed for a passage of said deflection lever and of said brake actuation lever, and wherein the orifice is disposed perpendicularly to said first flat side and said second flat side.
 20. The parking brake as claimed in claim 5, further providing a joint for connecting said lever holder to said brake actuation lever, and wherein said deflection lever is disposed for pivoting past said joint.
 21. A parking brake for a vehicle, the parking brake comprising: a lever holder including a housing, wherein the housing comprises a first flat side and a second flat side; a brake actuation lever pivotably arranged on said lever holder, wherein said brake actuation lever is articulated to the first flat side and to the second flat side of said housing; a locking arrangement for holding said brake actuation lever in a locking position; a brake cable; a deflection lever pivotably articulated to the first flat side and to the second flat side of said housing, wherein said deflection lever is pivotably linked with said brake actuation lever; a coupling unit for tensioning said brake cable during a displacement of said brake actuation lever, wherein said coupling unit is provided on said deflection lever; a jointed connection disposed between said deflection lever and said lever holder, wherein said deflection lever comprises a boundary facing away from the jointed connection; a toothed element disposed at the boundary of the deflection lever; and a locking pawl disposed in a jointed manner on said lever holder, such that the toothed element and the locking pawl are capable of holding said brake actuation lever in said locking position.
 22. The parking brake as claimed in claim 21, further providing a pawl spring for prestressing said locking pawl in a direction of said toothed element.
 23. The parking brake as claimed in claim 21, wherein said locking pawl is disposed on a short lever, wherein said locking pawl is facing a toothing of said toothed element, wherein said locking pawl includes an engagement nose for fixing said brake actuation lever in a pulled-on position, when engaging with the toothing.
 24. The parking brake as claimed in claim 21, wherein said locking pawl includes a sheet-metal pressed part.
 25. A parking brake for a vehicle, the parking brake comprising: a lever holder including a housing, wherein the housing comprises a first flat side and a second flat side; a brake actuation lever pivotably arranged on said lever holder, wherein said brake actuation lever is articulated to the first flat side and to the second flat side of said housing; a locking arrangement for holding said brake actuation lever in a locking position; a brake cable; a deflection lever pivotably articulated to the first flat side and the second flat side of said housing, said deflection lever being pivotably linked with said brake actuation lever; a coupling unit for tensioning said brake cable during a displacement of said brake actuation lever, wherein said coupling unit is provided on said deflection lever; and a joint connecting the brake actuating lever with the deflection lever, wherein the joint is substantially arranged within the lever holder. 